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Any one notices the cracking/popping sound of new 16 inch MBP?
- Thread starter MengkeMary
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I am only getting it in safari on youtube at the moment, I don't use safari though so I am happy that it is localized only to that one app at the moment
I recorded the issues with my left speaker, u can watch it here:
https://gofile.io/?c=ySSxCD
Does anybody else has these issues?
https://gofile.io/?c=ySSxCD
Does anybody else has these issues?
It works well - I wonder if it has any impact on battery life?
I got my 16" a few days ago. It definitely has the popping sound issue, but it's much more minor than I expected. I find other things about the audio more irritating: the speakers have distorted bass and a big response peak around 80-200Hz (try the frequency sweep here https://www.audiocheck.net/testtones_perceptualsinesweep.php).
Also you can't change the touch bar brightness, and the keyboard is still only slightly nicer than the butterfly keyboard. Not to mention the lack of ports, but that was expected. Overall disappointed.
Also you can't change the touch bar brightness, and the keyboard is still only slightly nicer than the butterfly keyboard. Not to mention the lack of ports, but that was expected. Overall disappointed.
Just thought I'd quote this to say, this solution works. It appears to keep the Microphone live all the time (though not recording anything) and that for some reason stops the popping sounds entirely. I tested it all day today, turn it off, pops come back instantly, opening it again, they go away.
At-least it's not too annoying just keeping it open and minimized. I think the fact this works shows that they can fix this with software. I highly recommend everyone who is affected to give clear and concise feedback about this issue here: https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos.html
The only way to get a proper fix is to make them aware of the problem if all the people who voted in this poll gave feedback here they will notice that a problem exists.
Just registered here to inform everyone that this problem is also present on my Macbook Pro 13 (Early 2015) on Catalina 10.15.1, maybe this is of some help (also if would be nice if someone with old hardware + Catalina 10.15.1 could confirm this but it's maybe a bit beyond the scope of this thread):
Firefox/youtube: popping sound happens every time I hit the space bar during playback for pause/resume
IINA/video playback: same issue
Safari/youtube: no problem
Cog audio player/playback of wav file: same issue
VLC/video playback: same issue but not every time (maybe I chose a bad sample video for this or maybe VLC does things a bit differently in comparison to IINA but I doubt that)
Quicktime/audia & video playback: no problem
So if I had to take a guess:
1. it's definitely software-related. Most probably to the way 3rd party audio/video apps access/use CoreAudio/AppleHDAEngineOutput (of whatever it is called on other machines, at least that's what the MBP13 2015 here is using) and/or to the driver/kext itself. I rarely use the speakers for anything (listening with Headphones 99% of the time), so I'm not sure if this problem was present in Mojave or High Sierra or even before. But maybe at some point, something happened or was changed within CoreAudio that caused this problem.
2. Apple 'might' not have noticed if they only used Quicktime or anything else made by Apple for testing (though if it's also a problem with FinalCut - then I have no explanation for this. I don't have FinalCut so I can't test)
Possible solution:
Either:
If this problem wasn't present in Mojave or High Sierra, Apple must undo whatever they changed in the meantime.
OR:
Every 3d party audio/video app/browser needs to change the way they're doing audio playback to the way this is being done with Safari/Quicktime (not sure if this is possible though)
I'm not saying that there can't be any hardware defects but I guess it's most probably not T2 Chip (since the MBPs from 2015 have it) related and also probably not speaker hardware (in the MBP 16's case) related since the problem isn't present when using headphones.
I actually wanted to switch to the MBP 16 but I guess it makes sense to wait for a while until some more testing has been done and/or until Apple confirms that this is a) definitely a software issue and b)that they have fixed it (but maybe it's c) a 3rd party software/old software issue that can't be fixed, then everyone is screwed and Apple won't do or confirm anything)
Firefox/youtube: popping sound happens every time I hit the space bar during playback for pause/resume
IINA/video playback: same issue
Safari/youtube: no problem
Cog audio player/playback of wav file: same issue
VLC/video playback: same issue but not every time (maybe I chose a bad sample video for this or maybe VLC does things a bit differently in comparison to IINA but I doubt that)
Quicktime/audia & video playback: no problem
So if I had to take a guess:
1. it's definitely software-related. Most probably to the way 3rd party audio/video apps access/use CoreAudio/AppleHDAEngineOutput (of whatever it is called on other machines, at least that's what the MBP13 2015 here is using) and/or to the driver/kext itself. I rarely use the speakers for anything (listening with Headphones 99% of the time), so I'm not sure if this problem was present in Mojave or High Sierra or even before. But maybe at some point, something happened or was changed within CoreAudio that caused this problem.
2. Apple 'might' not have noticed if they only used Quicktime or anything else made by Apple for testing (though if it's also a problem with FinalCut - then I have no explanation for this. I don't have FinalCut so I can't test)
Possible solution:
Either:
If this problem wasn't present in Mojave or High Sierra, Apple must undo whatever they changed in the meantime.
OR:
Every 3d party audio/video app/browser needs to change the way they're doing audio playback to the way this is being done with Safari/Quicktime (not sure if this is possible though)
I'm not saying that there can't be any hardware defects but I guess it's most probably not T2 Chip (since the MBPs from 2015 have it) related and also probably not speaker hardware (in the MBP 16's case) related since the problem isn't present when using headphones.
I actually wanted to switch to the MBP 16 but I guess it makes sense to wait for a while until some more testing has been done and/or until Apple confirms that this is a) definitely a software issue and b)that they have fixed it (but maybe it's c) a 3rd party software/old software issue that can't be fixed, then everyone is screwed and Apple won't do or confirm anything)
https://tidbits.com/2019/04/05/what-does-the-t2-chip-mean-for-mac-usage/
Scroll down to the "so, what's with thes audio problems" bit. Seems like a T2 issue.
Scroll down to the "so, what's with thes audio problems" bit. Seems like a T2 issue.
Just to add some data - I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid-2012) 15" running Mojave 10.14.6 and have FCP 10.4.7 - no clicking when pausing video with sound and/or music. Also no clicking when viewing videos in youtube in Safari. This thread is of particular interest because I was about to purchase a MacBook Pro 16 - but now waiting for a resolution to this.
ofc it is T2 related since that chip drive the audio, audio controller. Apple has to address this with an firmware update...but it seems Apple is kind of lazy or this issue is not big enough
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The easiest way is to play in safari an youtube music...and start to jump through the timeline a few timesI have a new 16 inch but I can't seem to cause that pop to happen.
How is the best way? I've listened to different YouTube videos, pausing them. Quicktime, Spotify, Logic Pro X.. Nothing. Catalina 10.5.1
Now I feel left out
just kidding.
So the T2 rest when you jump on youtube or in some fcx or some other apps..and after just a millisecond it wakes up...that cause the issue...apple should not rest the t2...It should place that audio controller to rest after 5 seconds...not after 1 millisecond
I have a new 16 inch but I can't seem to cause that pop to happen.
How is the best way? I've listened to different YouTube videos, pausing them. Quicktime, Spotify, Logic Pro X.. Nothing. Catalina 10.5.1
Now I feel left out
just kidding.
Interesting that you're not getting it. Through all the following of this issue, I have heard that what seem to be outliers don't get this issue. Which is... frustrating but at least somewhat positive =P
Turn your volume all the way up, and try a few different videos and just click (not scrub) through the video. Make sure you're in a relatively quiet space. Try it in Safari/Firefox if you haven't already. Give it a few clicks, for me it seems to happen 60-70% of the time.
Quicktime doesn't present the same way. It's when you close the video while it's playing. My guess is because the software for quicktime doesn't cut the audio stream when you skip through the buffer, it just sets a pointer to the required position.
Spotify fades out when you skip I think, so that would also mask the issue.
Logic doesn't manifest the same way either. I find that when I use a bass-y midi instrument, there's a rhythmic crackling in the background (almost sounds like an effect).
All the way up? I never do that.. Is it only when people listen all the way up? Anyway, just tried that and nope, nothing. Yet, in any case. Maybe it will still happen.
No, I was just mentioning this since it seems to scale with volume - more to ensure that you will/won't get it. Sounds like you might have gotten lucky!
I didn't have it originally on anything but Safari (Youtube), but I am now getting it sometimes on Chrome and VLC. Not sure why it is getting worse but hopefully you don't experience the same. At least I aint getting no whine coil (knock on wood)
2.3GHz 8core, 32GB, 8GB GPU, 1TB SSD.
Not sure. Are there others with no issues?
Well, we'll see. Haven't experienced whine coil either.
Hmm, interesting discovery. I just installed Boom3D to use the EQ (the speakers on this thing need EQ, I am trying a 2-4dB cut at 100Hz-500Hz right now, they sound much better) and the popping sound when seeking in YouTube has gone away. May be worth trying since Boom3D has a free trial available.
I have a new 16 inch but I can't seem to cause that pop to happen.
How is the best way? I've listened to different YouTube videos, pausing them. Quicktime, Spotify, Logic Pro X.. Nothing. Catalina 10.5.1
Now I feel left out
just kidding.
I am sorry to hear that your laptop is fine. Maybe you should return it and ask for a unit that pops, lol.
The most "popful" (yeah we have a new term here) application is Final Cut Pro when audio skimming is on. You just have to hover the cursor over media files in the library window and every time the cursor falls on a file you will hear a pop.
I was astonished to hear that Early 2015 MBP also has this issue, because I have one but on Mojave. I didn't expect this issue could happen on that machine with Catalina. Things are becoming more and more severe now. I'm sure a lot of people have complained to Apple. Now the problem is how long we need to wait before Apple finally acknowledge this issue and release a fix.
Thank you for your kind words.
I will install Final Cut Pro just for fun and see what happens.
I'll first have to do a short youtube class though. But i will report back.
Just kidding. But I could install Adobe Premiere... is that similar?